Posts Tagged ‘the killers’

I was weary about this CD because ‘Hot Fuss’ had really been just so phenomenal. It was a great chance, however, to write about this band in a more uninhibited setting with Ground Control. It made writing the piece that much better.

We all thought they would reach their heights as 15-minutes-of famers, but The Killers have proven that they’re here to stay. With the electronic tones persistent throughout their breakout album, Hot Fuss, it was inevitable that the band would be forever reinventing themselves. In these last months of 2007, they’ve given us an amalgamated collection of re-released b-sides, several rarities, historic collaborations and the ever-entertaining cover track dotted throughout the album.

With a track featuring Lou Reed, The Killers start off their track set with “Tranquilize.” The song makes it feel like the Velvets are getting back together—the track’s indicative of discordant riffs and heavy distortion. All the while, though, the underlying token Killers staple of Brendan Flowers’ electric keyboard wails away.

Perhaps the most interesting track to come out of this collection of b-sides is their above-par cover of “Shadowplay.” Already inclined to being a band that plays electro-jams, they’ve taken the Joy Division gem to another height, perhaps giving it an edginess that makes it okay for them to even touch upon such sacred legends of across-the-pond music lore.

Concert reviews are one of my favorite things because seeing live bands is something I not only seek out for my own sake of having a good time, but they’re excellent ways to really getting to know a particular music act. Regardless of what people think of The Killers because of their latest efforts, their first album, Hot Fuss, was ridiculously amazing. It’s probably why their latter releases were so heavily criticized. Really, though, that’s a discussion far more lengthy than I’m allotted here and for some other venue.

The anticipation in the crowd is unimaginable. The opening band, Tegan and Sara, has just gotten off the stage and the crowd has been left wanting more. The Killers are to come on next. At the Wiltern LG in Los Angeles, The Killers are playing their first of three shows within two days. Now at their first show, everyone’s dying to hear them play.